Excavations in the ground such as for graves, particularly those made in certain soils including generally sandy types, are particularly subject to caving in when people move about adjacent to the edges thereof. At a gravesite some means must be provided to support the machinery which is used for lowering the casket into the grave, and well supported bearing surfaces, usually in the form of plywood boards, are positioned adjacent to the sides of the grave so that the mourners, the pallbearers and the minister can stand at the side of the grave with no fear of a cave-in of the walls of the grave. A number of devices have been used over a period of many years in various attempts to provide a universally applicable support means for the walls of the grave as exemplified in the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. to Knarr, 571,090, Spear, 673,549, Shults, 470,767, and a device used to support the casket lowering machinery as exemplified in the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. to Hanks, 2,221,134. The above mentioned devices, for one reason or another, were not practical, and to the best of my knowledge, are not now in use. At the present time, the method most commonly used is to build a framework of timbers and planks around the sides and ends of the grave, all above ground, in such a way as to provide a support for the casket lowering machinery and a support for the edges of plywood boards nearest the grave. All of this criss-cross structure of timbers and planks is covered with green cloth having the appearance of grass. Because of the number of timbers and planks needed, a variety of obstructions exist, such as the corners of the framework. This makes it necessary for the minister, pallbearers, and mourners to step over the obstructions. Since all of this timber is supported by the ground adjacent to the edges of the excavation for the grave, there is always the danger of a serious cave-in which might cause injury to the mourners and others present, or at the least, a very embarrassing incident. The present invention provides an improvement on such teachings.